Royally Lost Read online

  Nikolai pictured his future all mapped out before him in a carbon copy of his father’s. “I guess he’s just there to make people feel that Mondovia is something special.”

  “That sounds like the most boring job I’ve ever heard of.”

  He sighed. “Yes, it is. They hold on to the old traditions even when it no longer makes sense.”

  “See, that’s what I hate about history. People hang on to it like the old ways were the best. Can you imagine if we did that with medicine or technology? Progress, people!” she said, raising her hands in the air.

  “I like the way you think. Some countries have embraced the changing times better than others. Here in Vienna, they honor their history of music, art, and some of the most powerful rulers of their time, and still manage to keep a strong economy based on industry and technology.”

  If only Mondovia could learn to honor its past, and yet live in the present, Nikolai’s life would be much better.

  Becca stepped around a man lighting a cigarette. “How do you know all this stuff?”

  “You mean the history? School, I suppose.” Or maybe living it every day.

  “But you’re not even from here! I don’t know how you can remember the history of other countries. I can’t tell you a thing about Canada other than they play a lot of hockey there. History is my worst subject. I barely pulled off a B last semester.”

  “I guess I have a natural gift. Come on, the Hofburg is up ahead.”

  They approached the grand entrance to the palace. Nikolai had been here a couple of times over the years for some formal dinner or event but never as a tourist. The Hofburg was still considered the heart of royalty in this part of the world.

  Being surrounded by so many people would normally drive him crazy, but now he realized they didn’t know or care who he was. He didn’t act or dress royal, so he blended in with the rest of the tourists.

  When they reached the ticket booth, Becca stepped forward and bought admission for two. She slipped the change in her pocket and waved the tickets. “My free passes for the day.”

  “So now that you are officially free, what do you plan to do?” he asked, not ready to say good-bye to this quirky, opinionated girl.

  “I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I don’t know.”

  “We could take the tour. I mean, you’ve got the tickets, and then maybe we could spend the afternoon together. If you want to.” His pulse raced as he waited for her response. He wasn’t used to worrying if a girl might turn him down.

  “I’d like that.” She smiled, and he found himself mesmerized by her doe eyes and long lashes. “Hopefully it doesn’t suck too much.”

  “How about we do the speed version of the tour and then go find something to eat?”

  “Okay.”

  “And maybe a little Habsburg history will rub off on you.”

  “Nah, I doubt it,” she laughed. “Hang on a sec while I text my brother and tell him what’s going on.”

  After Becca sent her message, they entered through the gigantic doors of the palace and came upon two large portraits, one of a woman, the other a man. Below, a plaque commemorated Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress and her son, Joseph, Holy Roman Emperor of the Habsburg Dynasty.

  “So what’s the big deal with this Maria Theresa chick I keep hearing about? I’ve never heard of her before today.”

  “Seriously? Maria Theresa’s power touched most of Europe. She was one of the most influential European rulers, in part because she married her sixteen children off to other powerful royal families.”

  Including his.

  “Huh. So you’re saying there is a lot of inbreeding going on with royalty.”

  Nikolai laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far. I can tell you that Marie Antoinette was one of her daughters.”

  Becca cringed. “There’s proof that arranged marriages don’t work out.”

  “Come on,” he said with a chuckle.

  They walked down long halls filled with tapestries and stucco ceilings, and through the offices of former rulers. Becca glanced at the ancient paintings adorning the walls, but seemed unimpressed.

  Nikolai didn’t blame her, yet this was the home of his forefathers. As his ancestors stared down from their high-framed perches, they seemed to be asking him the big, important question. Would he follow in their footsteps and hold up his part of the family dynasty? Or would he let them down and become a brief footnote in Mondovian history?

  “Look at all those dishes,” Becca said as they entered a room with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with dishes, pulling his attention back to the present. “No one needs that many plates, and why did they save them? Because honestly, who cares about three-hundred-year-old plates?”

  “Becca, you have a gift for stating the obvious. Let’s get out of here.” He led her past the remaining rooms and directly to the exit.

  She sighed. “Thank you. I know history is important, but jeesh. Live for today, people! I can’t believe I have another week of this stuff.”

  Nikolai wasn’t sure if he agreed with her or wanted to defend his heritage. “Okay, no more history. You’ve paid your dues and have duly suffered, but I must tell you that Vienna, heck, all of Europe, is actually quite modern. It’s not all old.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” he asked.

  “So modern that you need to pay every time you want to use a bathroom? That sounds like something out of the Middle Ages.”

  He laughed. “I know something that will prove my case.” He led them down the street, away from the Hofburg.

  “Where are we going now?”

  “You’ll see.” They walked a couple of blocks and took a left turn. He stopped before a small restaurant with large windows and bright golden arches on the sign. “I offer you the modern day, universal symbol of goodwill.”

  “French fries!” She laughed, her face lighting up with a gorgeous smile. Nikolai had never seen someone so happy over something so simple in a very long time.

  After snacking on french fries and sipping sodas in the most Americanized restaurant on the planet, they headed over to the Naschmarkt. Nikolai had never been there himself, but he saw a flyer for it posted on the wall of the hostel where he’d stayed last night.

  They walked through a myriad of local vendor booths that sold everything from pickles and stuffed peppers, to scarves and jewelry.

  “So where does your river cruise stop next?”

  “I don’t know. We’re at a different port each day. My dad told me, but I’d never even heard of any of the cities.” Becca stopped and ran her hands over the colorful scarves. “If he’d said Paris or Rome, I’d have remembered.”

  “I’m afraid Paris and Rome are nowhere near here, so it’s not likely.”

  She wrapped a green floral scarf around her neck. “I wish I did remember. Maybe it would be where you’re going. That would be pretty wild. What do you think?” She struck a pose.

  He shook his head no to the scarf and handed her a purple one. Considering he had no definite itinerary, and didn’t know her next stops, they would soon be saying good-bye. Becca had been a bright light during this short jaunt of his, and he didn’t really want to say good-bye.

  “Aw, I’m sure you’ll find a new guy in every port,” he teased, but hoped it wasn’t true.

  Becca tossed the scarf artfully around her neck and peeked in a small mirror hanging on a post.

  “Yeah, I’ll get pictures of every new guy. That ought to show my ex-boyfriend.” She turned to the woman running the booth. “I like this. I’ll take it.”

  “Allow me,” Nikolai said.

  “What? Why?” She looked dumbfounded.

  “As a souvenir of our afternoon together.” He handed the euros to the saleswoman. “And for the record, your boyfriend was a fool to let you go.”

  Becca dipped her head and spoke softly. “Thanks.”

  They walked on in silence until she pointed up ahead. “There’s my brother.”
/>
  Nikolai swallowed down his disappointment that they’d found him so soon.

  “Hey, Dylan,” Becca said as they caught up.

  Dylan sat on a high stool at an open-air pub talking to two attractive blondes, one with a mass of loose curls framing her porcelain face, the other with long straight hair that she twirled around her finger. Neither appealed to Nikolai like Becca.

  “Hey, Becs.” Dylan’s eyes wandered to Nikolai and gave him a quick once-over.

  “Hey. This is Nikolai,” she said.

  “Hi.” Nikolai offered his hand.

  “Hi.” Dylan stood and gave him a firm handshake. “This is Aneka and Hannah. They’re from Denmark.”

  Nikolai pulled his cap lower as they exchanged greetings. To his relief, the European girls paid him no attention.

  “So tell me, Becca. You got lost and this poor guy had to help you,” Dylan teased in a brotherly tone familiar to Nikolai.

  “Actually,” Nikolai spoke up before Becca could. “I was trying to find the Hofburg and she helped me.”

  Becca looked at him in confusion. He lowered his sunglasses for a moment and winked at her.

  “No kidding. That’s got to be a first.” Dylan drained his beer. “Well, I hate to say it, but I suppose we should be getting back before the boat takes off without us.” He turned to the Danish girls and said his good-byes.

  Nikolai pulled Becca aside. “Thanks for a great afternoon. I had a wonderful time.”

  “I doubt that. Showing an American tourist around can’t be that fun.”

  “Unless it’s this American tourist.” He smiled and squeezed her hand.

  They gazed at each other with unspoken words hanging in the air. Why couldn’t she be staying in Vienna for the week? They could have so much fun. She had helped him feel alive again.

  “Becca,” Dylan interrupted.

  “One sec,” she said and turned back to Nikolai. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

  “Me too.” He pushed back his regret. “Enjoy the rest of your trip. You only have a couple dozen more churches and a few rambling old castles to visit. You’ll be on your way home before you know it.”

  “Thank you again for the beautiful scarf.” She caressed the delicate fabric. “And enjoy the rest of your trip. I hope your parents don’t catch up to you for a while.”

  Nikolai saw Dylan waiting. He turned back to Becca. “I guess this is good-bye.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek before he could overthink it.

  Surprised, her eyes lit up. “I better go.”

  He smiled, wishing for more time.

  “Thanks again,” she said, joining her brother.

  Nikolai nodded to Dylan. As they walked away, his heart sank, which seemed stupid, since he barely knew her. But something about Becca and this day were the best time he’d had in a long time. He’d like to think it was because she liked him. After all, she laughed at his lame jokes. And she didn’t even know about his royal title.

  6

  Becca gazed back at Vienna from the top deck as the boat pulled away. She touched the soft scarf draped around her neck. She still couldn’t believe he’d bought it for her.

  Today had turned out to be the best day ever. Nikolai had been the nicest, funniest guy she’d ever met. Suddenly all the pain she felt over Ethan dumping her for Kelly evaporated as if he’d never even mattered.

  Unfortunately, the perfect guy had to be from some obscure European country. If she had been able to tell him their next stop, maybe he would have wanted to meet her there. Heck, she didn’t even know the name of the boat. She glanced across the deck and saw a decorative life ring with the ship name, Bolero, painted on it.

  She should have asked for his email address or if he was on Facebook. But if he didn’t want to give his address, that would have been awkward. Maybe it was better this way. She leaned on the railing and watched the city grow distant. Either way, Nikolai had been so charming and nice, not to mention really good-looking. He was the best thing to happen in longer than she could remember.

  “Oh no. Sulking over your European hottie?” Dylan joined her.

  “Hardly. I just met the guy,” she said in a cheery voice, belying her real mood.

  “Yeah, I saw how he looked at you.”

  “How was that?” She hadn’t noticed him looking at her in any special way.

  “The same way you were looking at him. Like he was a chocolate ice cream cone and you couldn’t wait to take a lick.”

  “Dylan! Shut up!” She swatted him.

  “I’m just saying, the guy was totally into you.”

  Tingles fluttered in her stomach at Dylan’s comment. “I finally find a guy who’s interested and then I have to leave. What did I do to deserve such rotten luck?”

  “Maybe it’s a sign that there are better guys out there, and you should stop settling for self-centered losers. Take me, for example. I am constantly testing the laws of attraction. The more you put yourself out there, the more awesome people you’ll cross paths with.”

  Dylan might have a point, but the only person she wanted to cross paths with would be miles away by morning.

  The next afternoon, surrounded by a mass of tourists who moved like zombies, Becca resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to tolerate having ancient history crammed down her throat for the rest of the trip. After that, she could go home to her familiar life of hanging with friends on State Street, boating on the lake, and getting ready for college. She couldn’t wait to escape the daily annoyance of spending time with her dad and Vicky. They were not a family unit and never would be.

  Their tour group meandered through the quaint village of Melk, Austria, adorned with its shuttered windows, pastel-hued buildings, colored planters bursting with flowers, and the occasional sidewalk café. The sun glared brightly, so she pulled on a baseball cap along with her sunglasses. She wore a tank top and her hair up in a knot, in hopes of surviving the hot day. Small groups of tourists wandered in the opposite direction, having finished their tours of the abbey. Becca wished she belonged to the departing crowd.

  The guide paused to point out an ancient fresco painted on the side of a building. As most of the group stared upward, mesmerized by the refurbished painting of a mythic God, Becca’s eyes wandered down the side street where a middle-aged man swept the cobblestones outside his shop. Across from the man she noticed a simple painted sign, Hostel.

  That’s what Vicky had been talking about the other night, cheap lodging for students as they backpacked through Europe. At that moment, the door opened and a guy stepped out. His tall, lean frame reminded Becca of Nikolai, even though he faced the opposite direction. Then he turned and glanced in her direction, and she noticed that his blue baseball cap was embroidered with the word Vienna. Nikolai!

  But Nikolai looked away and began to walk in the other direction. Didn’t he see her? She could swear he looked right at her. She stepped away from her group. “Nikolai!”

  He paused in his steps and turned. She removed her hat and sunglasses. Nikolai did a double take, and broke into his megawatt smile. Becca laughed and fought the urge to squeal her excitement. He shook his head in disbelief and headed toward her. The familiar gait of his step set her heart racing.

  “I didn’t plan this. I swear it.” He grinned, looking as surprised as she.

  “What are the odds?” She feasted upon his gorgeous face, broad shoulders, and the shorts that hugged his hips in an Abercrombie kind of way.

  “A million to one. At least. Nice scarf,” he said.

  “Thanks. It’s from an old friend.”

  The tour started to move on without them. Becca desperately wished she could disappear with Nikolai, but what lame excuse could she give her dad for skipping the tour?

  Nikolai gestured to the departing group. “Let’s go. We don’t want to be left behind.”

  “You’re coming with?” she asked, still dumbfounded by his sudden appearance, and now thrilled he planned to stick around.


  “Well, yeah. It’s a free country. I assume your tour is going to the Melk Abbey. I hear it’s the hottest ticket in town.”

  “But you’re not part of our group,” she said, afraid he’d be discovered and land in trouble.

  “Haven’t you heard? The abbey is open to anyone, not just American riverboat passengers who hate history.”

  He winked and she thought she might self-combust right there. Thank you, fate. I don’t know how you pulled this off, but I’m glad you did!

  They followed the crowd to the huge open courtyard of the Melk Abbey. The massive building was painted the shade of straw at harvest time and looked like a combination of a Spanish hacienda and a castle.

  Becca couldn’t help but wonder how Nikolai had ended up here. Had he somehow followed their boat up the river all through the night? “So, what made you stop in Melk?”

  “Apparently, you.” His blue eyes twinkled. “After you left yesterday, Vienna wasn’t much fun, so I decided to head out. I planned on riding a lot farther, but I kept seeing signs for Melk. When I was a kid, my parents brought me here for a—a tour. I took the turnoff and spotted a sign for the hostel. And look, you’re here, too!”

  As everyone gathered in the courtyard, Becca wondered how she’d explain Nikolai to her dad and Vicky. There were groups from several boats, so it was easy to stay out of their sight, but then Dylan appeared. When he spotted Nikolai at her side, he raised an eyebrow, smiled, and disappeared back into the crowd.

  “So you’re really planning on taking the tour?” she asked.

  “Of course, isn’t that why we’re here? And you obviously need some serious education in European history. You Americans are too ignorant about the rest of the world,” he teased.

  “And you’re going to teach me?” she challenged.

  “Yes, ma’am, I am.”

  “But what if the guides figure out you’re not with our group?”

  “What are you afraid of? That they’ll call the police?” He grinned as if relishing the idea.

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know. I just don’t want you to get in trouble.”